Modern Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones offer users a wide range of personalization, but some features can be annoying with their intrusiveness. One of these elements is the wallpaper carousel, which automatically changes the images on the lock screen. For many device owners, this comes as a surprise, since beautiful pictures are often overlaid with banner ads or simply prevent you from quickly finding the desired icon.
Users often wonder why this feature turns on itself after a system upgrade or a setup reset, because the developers of MIUI and the new HyperOS shell are actively promoting their content services. You can turn it off, but the settings menu sometimes hides deep enough or disguises itself as harmless design options. In this article, we will discuss all available deactivation methods.
It’s important to understand that the process may vary slightly depending on the version of the operating system and the region for which the smartphone is released. Global firmware versions often have more aggressive advertising than Chinese counterparts. We’ll look at universal steps to help you regain control of the appearance of your gadget and remove the constant change of images.
What is a wallpaper carousel and why turn it off
Wallpaper carousel is a built-in service that replaces a static image on the lock screen with a set of high-quality photos, which is technically positioned as a feature to improve the visual experience, allowing you to enjoy the work of professional photographers every time you pick up your phone. However, in practice, users often find that the images change too often or do not match their tastes.
The main reason many people are looking to turn off Glance by Mi or Xiaomi’s standard carousel is because of the advertising component: often, along with landscapes or abstractions, promotional materials, links to apps or news that cannot be ignored appear on the lock screen, which not only distracts, but also consumes traffic in the background, which can be critical in limited mobile Internet.
⚠️ Warning: Completely disabling system services through third-party programs can lead to unstable interface operation. Use only the standard configuration methods described in the instructions.
Also, changing images can consume extra battery power as the screen and processor process graphics more intensely, and if you want maximum device autonomy and minimalism, returning to a static picture is a logical step, and it also solves the problem of randomly clicking on banner ads in your pocket.
Disabling the carousel through lock screen settings
The easiest and safest way to remove intrusive image change is to use the phone's standard settings menu, which works on most current versions of MIUI and HyperOS. You don't need to install additional software or get super-user rights. You just need to go through the menu path carefully, because the item names may be similar.
To start, unlock the device and go to the main app menu. Find the Settings icon, which usually looks like a gear. In the list that opens, you need to find the section responsible for personalization. It can be called differently in different versions of the firmware, but most often it is the Lock Screen or Wallpaper and personalization.
☑️ Algorithm of action
Inside the lock screen section, you should look for the option associated with the carousel, which can be called "Wallpaper Carousel", "Glance by Mi" or simply "Washpaper Change", and this is where the switch that activates or deactivates the function hides, and after turning it off, the system will suggest you choose a static image that will be displayed permanently.
Sometimes, after the function is turned off, you need to restart the device to make the changes work correctly. If the switch returns to its original position or the function turns on again after a while, this may indicate a conflict with system updates or third-party themes, in which case it is worth checking for firmware updates or resetting the theme settings to standard ones.
Management through the “Themes” app
In the Xiaomi ecosystem, not only the settings menu, but also the Themes’ separate system application, are responsible for visual design. Often, wallpaper carousel settings are duplicated or even completely transferred to this service. If you do not find the right switch in the basic settings of the phone, be sure to check the Themes app, which is preinstalled on each device of the brand.
Launch the Themes app and look at the bottom navigation bar or user profile. The profile (human icon) often hides additional settings. Find the Settings item inside the app. There may be a separate section dedicated to the Wallpaper Carousel or Glance.
| Parameter | Standard menu | Annex Topics | Third-party launchers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Availability | Always available. | Depends on the version. | Not applicable. |
| Frequency setting | Limited. | Expanded | No. |
| Category selection | Basic | Detailed. | No. |
| Disabling advertising | Partial | Maybe. | Complete. |
Inside the Themes app settings, you can not only turn off the feature, but also configure image categories if you plan to use the carousel selectively. However, to completely get rid of changing pictures, you just need to find a switch to turn on the wallpaper carousel and put it inactive. The application interface can change with updates, so look for keywords.
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If you can’t find the Themes app on your desktop, search the system or type “site:miui.com themes app settings” into Google.
Category settings and refresh rates
For those users who don't want to give up the feature entirely, but want to minimize its impact, there are fine-tunings: the carousel allows you to select specific categories of images, excluding those that you don't care about, and this helps avoid unwanted content, such as celebrity images or political news.
The carousel control menu often has a setting for the frequency of the images changing, so you can set the interval at which the picture will change: every time you unlock it, once an hour or once a day, and if you choose the manual option, the images will not change on their own, which effectively turns the carousel into a static gallery.
- 🖼️ Categories: Mark only those genres that you are really interested in (nature, architecture, abstraction), and uncheck the others.
- ⏱️ Interval: Set maximum refresh times or choose a manual shift so that pictures don’t flash before your eyes.
- 🚫 Recommend: Disable the “Get recommendations” option so that the system doesn’t slip random images based on your geolocation or time of day.
You should also pay attention to the settings "Show on the lock screen" and "Show on the desktop", separating these parameters allows you to leave the change of images in only one place if necessary, but for complete cleanliness of the interface, it is better to turn off the function everywhere.
Problems with returning function after update
One of the most common problems is automatically turning on the wallpaper carousel after an operating system update, and the developers of MIUI and HyperOS can reset user preferences for factory values, which imply enabled services for monetization, causing frustration for users who have already disabled this feature.
To prevent re-enablement, it is recommended that after each major firmware update, check the Settings → Lock screen section. Sometimes the system may suggest "improved experience" on the first run after the update, and inattentively pressing the "Accept" or "Next" button will activate the carousel again.
⚠️ Note: When you update your system via Recovery or Fastboot with Wipe All Data, all settings will be reset.
There is also a nuance with regional settings: If you have changed region in your phone settings (for example, from Russia to India or China), the system can apply other content display standards where the carousel is turned on by default. Check the region at Settings → Additional settings → Region can help identify the cause.
Why does the function turn on itself?
Using third-party applications to block
If standard methods do not help or the function returns again and again, you can resort to third-party solutions. There are launcher applications and specialized ad blocking utilities that can limit the activity of Xiaomi system services.
One effective way is to install an alternative lock screen from the Google Play directory. Such apps completely replace Xiaomi's standard lock mechanism, and therefore the wallpaper carousel simply stops loading as the native interface stops being used. Popular options include Hi Locker or KLCK.
Another approach is to use applications to freeze system services, such as ADB AppControl or SD Maid, which can disable the package responsible for the carousel (often called com.miui.personalization or similar), which requires connecting the phone to a computer and basic knowledge of working with ADB.
- 📲 Lock screen replacement: Install a new app, it intercepts screen control.
- ❄️ Freezing the service: Through ADB disables a specific system package responsible for pictures.
- 🛡️ Adblockers: Some of them DNS-filters can block servers from which images of the carousel are downloaded.
Weigh all the pros and cons before installation.
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The most reliable way to remove the carousel forever is to combine the switching off of the settings and changing the region to a country with a less aggressive advertising policy, such as India or China (with the subsequent installation of Russian language packages).